Today was a cold and rainy day in Stockholm. The locals said that Fall had arrived. Thankfully back in New York it is still hot so I’m not worried yet! The last couple of days I’ve been touring on and off with a solo British tourist I met here while watching “Avatar” at a restaurant (go figure). It’s been nice having company and a drinking buddy. One thing that really surprised me was the preponderance of cider in Sweden. Denmark had a bit, but it seems almost as popular as beer here. Of course this is a very nice turn of events as I am quite the cider lover. There are numerous brands and favors. One thing in common is that they all tend to be on the sweeter side. I prefer dryer. It is often the cheapest drink one can have in this very expensive country so I’ve tried many. Pear seems to be the most popular type. It is very light and quite sweet. The elderflower cider is quite nice. Still sweet but it has a bright, unique taste. Of course there are many apple ones to try. Happily the Swedes know to serve ice with their cider, something Americans really need to understand. I would love to start a traditional cyderworks in the United States where there is still an emerging market and growing demand because this Swedish market is saturated.
One of the exciting or scary things about travel is when your best laid plans fall apart and you have to figure out what to do. My plan was to get on the Oslo-Bergen train, which is considered one of the most spectacular rail journies in the world. Since I purchased a Scandinavian Rail Pass, I don’t need a ticket, but a reservation is recommended for this train as it is very popular. Unfortunately I was unaware that I can only make a reservation for this train when in Norway. I’ve purchased reservations outside other countries before, but I guess they were always EU countries. These are not. I arrive in Norway on Friday and want, make that need, to get on a Sunday train, but was also informed today that it probably will not be possible. What to do? Not only is this train ride one of the purposes of this trip, but it was also allowing me the opportunity to fulfill my dream to kayak in a fjord, and also to fly home. Now I’m in a panic, and I’ll only know what my predicament is when I arrive in Norway on Friday. There may be some hurried last minute stuff going on with lodging and trains.
My couchsurfing host is the Musical Director of one of Old Town Stockholm’s landmark churches. Today he invited me into the closed bell tower to watch him play the carillon. It was fascinating. The climb up the tower was harrowing for me as I’m incredibly afraid of heights. Maybe I should see a hypnotist. Anyway, it was a typically steep stone stairway, but 1/3 the way up we were in a very high open room with a very narrow, steep, exposed stairway. My heart immediately went into overdrive as I now realized I would die in a Swedish church. It was Protestant, I’m Catholic, hope God doesn’t care! If it wasn’t for this privilege bestowed on me I would’ve backed out. Further up we entered into a dark area where the wooden stairs were almost ladder like, rickety and steep. I held my nerve somehow and was rewarded with a unique experience of watching this talented man work the carillon and play many different songs. He even showed me a note to play during his performance, allowing me to leave my mark on Stockholm’s sonic landscape. Made me forget about everything. The climb down nearly killed me, but that goes without saying. (Cursing in a church isn’t a deadly sin, right?)
Carillon
Afterwards I went to get a much needed drink. I’m in a better frame of mind now. I have to try and stay positive and keep my mind flexible. That is the key to any journey, and to life. So if my train is booked, maybe I cut my Oslo trip short. Yes that would be a pain to rearrange my accommodations, but what choice might I have? Maybe there will be a cancellation. Maybe I have to do a night train and miss some of the beautiful scenery out the train window, but if I get to go kayaking in a fjord I’ll see enough amazing scenery to make the trip worthwhile. I’m still worried that I might not get to see anything like that, but I have no control over the situation until I reach Norway. I had some brief moments of great height, literally and figuratively. I can’t let the low counter that.
***I found out the reason behind the difficulty is obtaining a reservation was due to an epic storm that ravaged southern Norway, causing landslides and closing the train line to Bergen. Uh-oh.